Worm-gearing.



PATENTED MAY 2, 1905. 0ND & F. E. WALDEN.

ORM GEARING.

ION FILED JULY 29, 1904.

WE 69%NTUR5 M W @w- J @T NITEn STATES Patented May 2, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT A. HAMMOND, OF SAN'DVVIOH, AND FREDERICK E. VVALDEN, OFVVOROESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

woRM-GEAnme.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 788,716, dated May 2,1905.

Application filed July 29, 1904- Serial No. 218,766-

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, ROBERT A. HAMMOND, of Sandwich, in the county ofBarnstable, and FREDERICK E. VVALDEN, of l/Vorcester, in the county ofWVoreester, State of Massachusetts, citizens of the United States, haveinvented an Improvement in VVorm-Gearing, of which the following is aspecification.

Our invention has for its object to provide a simple mechanical devicewhereby a slide may be quickly engaged with ascrew-threaded shaft, so asto be operable thereby, or instantly disengaged from said shaft, so thatit can be freely slid back and forth thereon independently of thescrew-threads thereof, thereby enabling the slide to be quickly adjustedupon the shaft from any position to another and again engaged therewithin such a manner that it can, if desired, be further adjusted to anydegree of nicety by rotating said shaft.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of ascrew-shaft and slide embodying our invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinalvertical section of the same. Fig. 8 is a section on the line 3 3 ofFig. 1, showing the position of the eccentric nut or thumbpiece when theslide is connected with the screw-shaft, so as to be operable thereby.Fig. 1 is a similar section showing the position of the eccentric nut orthumb-piece when the slide is disengaged from the screw-shaft and isfree to move over the threads of the same. Fig. 5 is a plan view of theeccentric nut or thumb-piece.

In the said drawings, A represents a bed, from one end of which rises asolid upright or abutment b, in hearings in which and in a support 0 atthe opposite end of the bed is 4 mounted a screw-threaded shaft orspindle B,

provided with a hand-wheel (Z, by which it may be rotated. Upon thisshaft A is mounted a slide O, having a non-threaded aperture or smoothbore 10 for the passage of the shaft B, said aperture being of greaterdiameter than that of the shaft, so that it can freely slide over itsthreads toward and from the abut- VVithin an open slot 15 at one endment 6.

of the slide O is placed a sector-shaped oscillating nut or thumb-pieceD, having on one 5 side a circular projection or boss 16, forming ajournal, which is fitted to turn in a bearing 18, formed by enlargingthe adjacent end of the aperture 10 of the slide O. This thumbpiece 1)is provided with a screw-threaded aperture 19, through which passes theshaft B, said aperture being eccentric to the axis of the boss 16andbearingin which it turns and being of sligl'ltly greater diameter thanthat of said screw-shaft, so that the said shaft can slide freelythrough the thumb-piece when the latter is turned into the positionshown in Fig. 4, which brings the axis of its aperture 19 in line withthe axis of the screw-shaft B, thus disengaging the threads of thethumb-piece from the 5 threads of the shaft, and when in this positionthe slide C will be free to be quickly moved over the threads of theshaft B into any desired position thereon, after which by simply turningthe thumb-piece a quarter-revolution 7 its threaded aperture 19 will bebrought into a position eccentric to the axis about which saidthumb-piece turns in its bearing, causing its threads to engage thethreads of the screwshaft B on one side thereof, as shown in Fig. 3,thus connecting the slide with the shaft, when it can, if desired, befurther adjusted to any degree of nicety by turning the shaft l) bymeans of the hand-wheel d. The threads of the aperture 19 are preferablycut away on one side, as shown in Fig. 2, to further facilitate the freemovement of the slide O when disconnected from the shaft B. The angularmovement of the eccentric thumb-piece l) in opposite directions islimited by the contact 5 of its angular sides 20 21 with the end wall ofthe slide O, which thusforms a suitable stop for the purpose.

The above-described device may be advantageously applied to a variety ofmechan- 9 isms-for instance, to parallel Vises, clamps, and othermachinery where it is desired to combine a sliding part or member with ascrew-shaft in such manner that it can when desired be freely andquickly slid over the threads of said shaft to any desired positionthereon and again quickly engaged therewith, so as to be operable in theordinary manner by the rotation of the shaft.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is

1. In a device of the character described, the combination withascrew-threaded shaft, of a slide having a bore or aperture for thereception of said shaft, whereby it be moved freely thereon in thedirection of its length independently of the screw-threads, and anoscillating nut or thumb-piece journaled in said slide andhavingascrew-threaded aperture for the passage of the screw-shaft, saidaperture being eccentric to the axis about which said nut or thumb-pieceturns and having a diameter greater than that of said shaft so that thethumb-piece may slide freely thereon, whereby said slide may be engagedwith or disengaged from said screw-shaft by an angular movement of saidthumb-piece.

2. A device of the character described comprising a screw-threadedshaft, a slide having a smooth bore or aperture for the reception ofsaid shaft, whereby it may be moved freely thereon in the direction ofits length independently of the screw-threads, means for engaging saidslide with and disengaging it from said screw-shaft, consisting of anoscillating nut or thumb-piece journaled in said slide and having ascrew-threaded aperture for the passage of the screw-shaft, saidaperture being eccentric to the axis about which said nut or thumb pieceturns and having a diameter greater than that of the screw-shaft, meansfor rotating said screw-shaft to effect a further adjustment of theslide thereon after being engaged therewith, and means for limiting theangular movement of the thumb-piece in either direction.

WVitness our hands this 11th day of July, A. D. 1904.

ROBERT A. HAMMOND. FREDERICK E. VVALDEN.

In presence of P. E. TESOHEMACHER, HENRY H. SULLIVAN.

